Assembly of electrical apparatus



Dec. 29, 1936. H. VAN BILLIARD 20,224

ASSEMBLY OF ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Original Filed July 1, 1927 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Invent or Lewis Van Bflliard His Attorneg.

Dec. 29, 1936. VAN BILLlARD Re. 20,224

ASSEMBLY OF ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Original Filed July 1, 1927 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor'- Lewi5 H.Van Billiard His Attohneg.

Reissued Dec. 29, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Lewis B. VanBilliard, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, acorporation of New York Original No. 1,938,410, dated December 5, 1933,

Serial No. 202,970, July 1, 1927.

Application for reissue August 16, 1934, Serial No. 740,146

13 Claims.

My invention relates to the manufacture of electrical apparatuscomprising a plurality of different interconnected elements or parts,and has for its principal object the provision of an improvedarrangement of parts and a method of assembly whereby the connectionsbetween such parts may be readily completed.

In assembling of electrical apparatus, such as a radio device forexample, much labor is often consumed in arranging and completing theconnections between the different parts of the apparatus. In accordancewith my invention, this difllculty is avoided by mounting theconnections upon a sheet or member so that they are insulated from oneanother and are readily attached to the temiinals of the various parts.

My invention will be better understood from the following descriptionwhen considered in connection with the accompanying drawings and itsscope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates a member upon which aplurality of connections have been assembled in accordance with myinvention; Fig. 2 illustrates a bottom view of a radio apparatus whereinmy invention has been embodied; and Fig. 3 is a wiring diagram of thisapparatus.

Fig. 1 illustrates a member I, which in the specific embodiment of myinvention herein shown and described is an insulation member, upon whichare mounted a plurality of conductors provided with terminals 2 to I9and 59 to 6| .arranged to be readily connected with different parts ofthe apparatus illustrated by Fig. 2. It will be noted that resistorelements 20 and 2|, and condensers 5| and 56 are mounted on theinsulation member I and that this member is provided with openings 22and 23 whereby it may be attached to and spaced from the casing of theapparatus.

As indicated by Fig. 2, the apparatus comprises a metal casing 24 uponthe under surface of which are supported the member I, a pair ofcoupling transformers 25 and 26, a fixed condenser 2'l, and variousother parts which are diagrammatically shown in Fig. 3. Power issupplied to the apparatus through a cable 28, and the operation of theapparatus is controlled by means of knobs 29, 30, 3I and 32.

As shown more clearly by Fig. 3, the apparatus comprises an antenna 33and a receiver 34 which are interconnected through an amplifying anddetecting arrangement comprising a coupling transformer 35, a spacedischarge device 36, a coupling transformer 31, a space discharge device38, the coupling transformer 26, a space discharge device 39, thecoupling transformer 25 and a space discharge device 40. The cable 28comprises a plurality of conductors 4| to 41 through which power issupplied to the A, B and C circuits of the apparatus from any suitablesource.

In assembling the apparatus, the sockets of the space discharge devices36, 38, 33 and 40, the transformers 25 and 26, the condenser 21 andvarious other parts are mounted within the casing 24 as indicated inFig. 2; the cable conductors 4|, 43, 45 and 41 are connectedrespectively to a secondary terminal of the transformer 25, to a primaryterminal of the transformer 25, to a secondary terminal of thetransformer 26 and to ground at 48; the conductors 49, 50 and 53 areconnected to the socket terminals of the devices 36 and 3B; theinsulation member I is attached to the casing 24 by means of boltsextending through the openings 22 and 23; the cable conductors 42, 44and 46 are attached to different conductors supported on the insulationmember I; and the terminals 2 to I9 and 59 to 6| are connected to thevarious parts as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. It will be noted tha thevarious conductors supported on the insulation member I are threadedback and forth through openings in this member so that they areinsulated from one another and have their terminals each located at apoint adjacent the point of its connection to the apparatus when themember I is attached to the casing 24.

As will be readily undersood from the foregoing description, the use ofan insulation mem-' ber arranged to insulate and support a plurality ofconductors with their terminals adjacent the parts to which they are tobe connected greatly facilitates the assembly of an apparatus comprisingmany parts which have to be interconnected with one another. While myinvention has been illustrated and described as applied to a radioreceiving apparatus, it will be apparent that it may be applied to manydifferent types of electrical apparatus.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated and described herein hasbeen selected for the purpose of clearly setting forth the principlesinvolved. It will be apparent, however, that the invention issusceptible of being modified to meet the different conditionsencountered in its use and I therefore aim to cover by the appendedclaims all modifications within the true spirit and scope of myinvention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is:

1. The combination ofv a radio apparatus including a supporting memberand a plurality of parts of said apparatus, a pre-assembled wiring unitfor interconnecting said parts, said wiring unit including a perforatedinsulation member and a plurality of conductors threaded through theperforations of said member and supported by said member, means toassemble said parts in predetermined positions on said supporting memberin the absence of said wiring unit, and means to secure said wiring unitin operative position on said assembled apparatus parts and supportingmember, the terminals of said conductors being adjacent the terminals ofthose of said parts to which said conductors are to be connected.

2. The combination of an electrical apparatus including a supportingmember and a plurality of parts of said apparatus, a pre-assembledwiring unit for interconnecting said parts of said apparatus, saidwiring unit including a perforated insulation member and a plurality ofconductors each threaded through a different perforation and supportedby said insulation member, means to assemble said parts in predeterminedpositions on said supporting member in the absence of said wiring unit,and means to secure said wiring unit in operative position on saidassembled apparatus parts and supporting member, the terminals of saidconductors being adjacent the terminals of those of said parts to whichsaid conductors are to be connected.

3. A wiring unit for instrument panels having a series of terminalsprojecting from one face thereof, comprising a sheet of insulatingmaterial and a plurality of conductor wires fastened to said sheet ininsulated relationship to each other, said wires being provided withconnector portions positioned to engage selected terminals, said sheetsupporting and maintaining said wires in fixed relationship to oneanother so that the unit may be placed on and removed from theinstrument panel without disarrangement of the conductor Wires.

4. The combination of an electrical apparatus including a supportingmember and a plurality of parts, a pre-assembled wiring unit, means toassemble said parts in predetermined positions on said supporting memberin the absence of said wiring unit, and means to secure said wiring unitin operative position on said assembled apparatus parts and supportingmember, said unit comprising a base of insulating material havingopenings therein, a plurality of conductors threaded through saidopenings and supported by said base, connector portions at the ends of.said conductors, and means for maintaining said conductors on said baseso that said connector portions extend beyond said base at predeterminedpositions.

5. The combination of an electrical apparatus having a supporting memberand a plurality of parts of said apparatus, a pre-assembled wiring unitfor interconnecting said parts, means to assemble said parts inpredetermined positions on said supporting member in the absence of saidwiring unit, and means to secure said unit in operative position on saidassembled apparatus parts and supporting member, said wiring unitcomprising a sheet of insulating material, openings in said sheet, and aplurality of conductors threaded through said openings from one side tothe other of the sheet to maintain said conductors in insulated andspaced relationship.

6. A wiring unit for electrical apparatus, comprising a sheet ofinsulating material, a conductor supported on said sheet, a secondconductor supported on said sheet in a position such that it will crossthe first mentioned conductor, and openings in said sheet, said secondconductor being threaded through said openings so that it is on theopposite, side of said sheet from the first conductor at the point wheresaid conductors cross.

'7. The combination of a radio apparatus including a supporting memberand a plurality of parts of said apparatus, a pre-assembled wiring unitfor interconnecting said parts of said apparatus, means to assemble saidparts in predetermined positions on said supporting member in theabsence of said wiring unit, and means to secure said unit in operativeposition on said assembled apparatus parts and supporting member, saidunit including a perforated member, and a plurality of conductorsthreaded through the perforations of said member and supported by saidmember in insulating relation therewith with their terminals adjacentthe terminals of those of. said parts to which said conductors are to beconnected.

8. The combination of an electrical apparatus including a supportingmember and a plurality of parts of said apparatus, a pre-assembledwiring unit for interconnecting said parts of said apparatus, means toassemble said parts in predetermined positions on said supporting memberin the absence of said wiring unit, and means to secure said unit inoperative position on said assembled apparatus parts and supportingmember, said wiring unit including a perforated member and a pluralityof conductors in insulating relation therewith, each of said conductorsbeing supported by said perforated member by being threaded through adifferent perforation, each conductor being supported by said memberwith its terminals adjacent the terminals of those of said parts towhich said conductors are to be connected.

9. A wiring unit for an instrument panel having a series of terminalsprojecting from one face thereof, comprising a supporting sheet and aplurality of conductor wires in insulated relationship to each other andfastened substantially throughout their lengths to said sheet by beingthreaded through openings formed in said sheet, selected terminals ofsaid series being connected to said panel in predetermined relationthereto in the absence of said wiring unit, said wires being providedwith connector portions respectively positioned to engage thecorresponding selected terminals of said series, said sheet therebysupporting and maintaining said wires in fixed relationship to oneanother so that the unit may be placed on and removed from theinstrument panel without disarrangement of the conductor wires.

10. A wiring unit for an instrument panel having a series of terminalsprojecting from one face thereof, comprising a supporting member and aplurality of conductor wires in insulated relationship to each other,said wires being fastened substantially throughout their lengths to saidmember by being threaded through perforations formed in said member,selected terminals of said series being connected to said panel inpredetermined relation thereto in the absence of said wiring unit, saidwires being provided with connector portions respectively positioned toengage the corresponding selected terminals of. said series, wherebysaid supporting member supports and maintains said wires in fixedrelationship so that the unit may be placed on and removed from theinstrument panel without disarrangement of the conductor wires.

11. The combination with an electrical apparat-us including a supportingmember and a plurality of parts 'mounted in predetermined positions onsaid member and having a plurality of terminals to be interconnected ina predetermined manner, of a pre-assembled wiring unit forinterconnecting said parts, said wiring unit comprising a base, aplurality of conductors in insulating relation with said base andfastened throughout their length closely adjacent said base by beingthreaded through perforations formed in said base, connector portions atthe ends of said conductors and means for maintaining said conductors onsaid base so that said connector portions extend beyond said base atpredetermined positions.

12. The combination with an electrical apparatus including a supportingmember and a plurality oi parts mounted in predetermined positions onsaid member, of a pre-assembled wiring unit for interconnecting saidparts, said wiring unit comprising a sheet of material, openings in saidsheet, and a plurality of conductors supported on said sheet ininsulating relation therewith and threaded through said openings fromone side to the other of the sheet, said conductors extending closelyadjacent one side 01 said sheet for predetermined distances and afterbeing threaded through the corresponding openings extending closelyadjacent the other side of the sheet for predetermined distances,thereby to maintain said conductors in a desired relationship.

13. A wiring unit for electrical apparatus comprising a sheet of,material, a conductor supported on said sheet in insulating relationtherewith, a

second conductor supported on said sheet in insulating relationtherewith in a position such that it will cross the first mentionedconductor, and openings in said sheet, said second conductor beingthreaded through said openings so that it is on the opposite side ofsaid sheet from the first conductor at the point where said conductorsCIOSS.

LEWIS H. VAN BILLIARD.

